PREVIOUSLY ON THE NOME CHRONICLES:

Drifter’s growl grew louder, and he lowered his head to the ground. “I’m no wolf, Tonrar.”

The shadow named Tonrar stepped fully into the light and smirked. “...And I thought that little tumble you had over the waterfall would NEEEVER teach you anything!” He returned the growl.

He continued to snarl and glare. “What do you want?”

“I want what any angry wolf would want – revenge. You and your girlfriend, along with the rest of these pitiful mutts, will get it soon, I promise.”

“Leave them out of this.”

“Oh, but this involves much more than just you and me. We share a bloodline, remember?” He looked down and happily enjoyed the moment as he waved his clawed finger around. “A very...special...bloodline.”

Drifter looked around, hoping to find any means of distraction. “...Where’s Iqniq and Yakone?”

Tonrar blinked. “They’re around.” Seeing the look on Drifter’s face, he chuckled. “Yes, they made it too. We had a real nice run-in with your friends earlier today.”

Drifter snarled a little louder, careful not to wake the others. “If you hurt any of them, I swear, I’ll –“

“You’ll what? Kill me? Don’t make me laugh, Drifter.” He twiddled the claw in Ambyr’s face and laughed lightly.

Drifter was seething with an uncontrollable rage. He didn’t know what unknown force kept him from leaping on top of Tonrar, and ripping him to shreds.

As if sensing his thoughts again, Tonrar withdrew his claw. “Don’t worry, old friend...we’ll both get our chances.” He laughed louder this time, and stepped back into the dark. The shadows swallowed him up, but his evil laugh still lingered in the room.

Tonrar was nowhere in sight.

Drifter walked over and woke up Blitz, Ambyr, and Haywire. They groaned and twisted, but grudgingly rose to their feet, rubbing their eyes with their paws.

“...Drifter? ...What’s going on,” Haywire yawned.

Drifter lowered his ears and looked down at the ground. “I...have something to tell you guys.” He gazed up at their eyes. “...and you’re not gonna like me for it.”

Ambyr, Blitz, and Haywire all looked at one another, confused, as they each prepared themselves for the worst.

* * [End Flashback] * *

Drifter found himself running among the trees again. He tried to remember his way to the waterfall, so he could avoid having to go there any more, but it seemed as though every step he took in any direction brought him closer. He couldn’t stop. The snarling pack of wolves was right behind him. The young Drifter gasped as he looked ahead, and dug his paws in the ground as the gaping waterfall dipped into the ground before him.

Before he could turn around, the wolf pack had already surrounded him, snarling and glaring with their red eyes brimming with anger and hatred.

The terrified pup looked up at them. “WHY?! Why are you doing this?” He asked the question time and time again, but every answer stayed constant.

“...It’s a wolf thing,” The wolf in front lunged at him, and caused Drifter to step back, and lose his footing, slipping and clawing until the ground he hung onto crumbled, and sent him tumbling head over tail to the dark abyss below.

Drifter snapped his eyes open, and raised his head, panting loudly. Looking around, he realized he hadn’t awoken to the usual sight of his alleyway, but rather a clean, well-taken-care-of boiler room.

“The dream came back again?”

Drifter turned his head to see Ambyr, alone, looking at him from a corner. She graciously walked up to him and nuzzled him affectionately under the chin.

Drifter shook his head to the side, saying nothing.

Ambyr stared at him. “You know you can always talk about it.”

“Talking won’t solve anything,” he replied. “Where’s Blitz and Haywire?”

Ambyr gazed back at the closed door. “They haven’t returned yet. They probably still need more time to soak this all in.”

Drifter sighed. “...What about you?”

Ambyr smiled at him. “I guess I sorta knew this was coming also.”

He nodded silently and yawned. He then got up and strode towards the door.

“Hey, where you going?”

“...I’m...going for a walk.” He continued walking, but halfway out the door, he stopped. Turning back to Ambyr, he nervously cleared his throat. “You...you wanna come with?”

Ambyr quickly got up and joined him, still smiling. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Haywire and Blitz walked together, each looking down at the ground and not saying. Finally, Blitz broke the silence. “I can’t believe Drifter waited until now to tell us. What made him think Tonrar being alive and after us wasn’t a big deal?”

Haywire frowned. “All he told us was that he, Iqniq, and Yakone, were back, along with that dream he always has. I dunno, it sounded strange to me. Do you think he’s trying to hide something?”

“It’s obvious,” Blitz said. “But I’m not quite sure what.”

Haywire shook his head. “I bet he’s already filling Ambyr in on everything. I mean, just because I’M not the love of his life doesn’t mean he can keep secrets that may end up getting us all killed.”

Blitz gave him a funny look, but realizing he had a point, he continued walking. Suddenly, he stopped and looked up ahead. He nudged Haywire’s side. “Hey, speaking of love...” he gestured ahead, to Ambyr and Drifter, walking and talking together, as if they didn’t have a care in the world. Drifter said something to Ambyr, and she started laughing, and pushing him away playfully. Her expression lightened when she saw the two. She poked Drifter to follow as she ran up to them.

“Hey! How you guys doing?”

Haywire lowered his head. “I dunno – why don’t you tell us?”

Ambyr cocked her head. “What’re you talking about?”

Haywire did something he rarely did – especially to Ambyr. He growled at her. “You know what I mean. You and Drifter, huh? Did he spill the beans on you? Or would he rather just wait until your two inches away from death?” He turned angrily to Drifter. “Am I right? You’re hiding something! Something I know that has to do with us!!”

Drifter said nothing, but he narrowed his eyes.

Ambyr breathed heavily. “You...You’re wrong! Drifter would never do anything like that! You should know, you’re the one that first met him!”

“And you’re probably the one that first nuzzled him!”

Ambyr gasped. “WHAT?!” She lowered her head and returned the growl.

Blitz looked up at Haywire. “Hey, come on, chill out, okay? Let’s go back to the boiler room and –“

“NO!!” Haywire snapped his head to Drifter. “What is it you’re not telling us?!”

“NOTHING!!” shouted Ambyr.

“Then what were you two just talking about?”

“That’s none of your business!!”

“You see, there ya go!! You’ve now become a liar, Ambyr, just like Drifter. You probably know something too! I’ll bet you had the feeling this was going to happen, didn’t you?”

Ambyr’s face was twisted in anger, but her eyes betrayed the fact that Haywire was, indeed, right.

“I knew it. You’re just as guilty!”

Blitz tried once more to step in. “Haywire, stop! Let’s all just –“

“NO!!!”

Ambyr snarled at him. “I’m telling you, we don’t...know...ANYTHING!!”

“LIAR!!!!”

It was getting so out of hand, even Drifter had to say something to try and calm her down, but it was two late. Before long, Drifter soon found himself yelling at Ambyr, while Ambyr was yelling at Haywire, and Blitz ALSO found himself yelling at Haywire.

Ambyr and Haywire were now nose-to-nose, snarling and shouting at each other.

“You just don’t trusted him! You NEVER trusted him – or ME!! – or ANY of us!!” Ambyr cried, now close to tears.

“Gee, I wonder why!!”

“Why can’t you just give us a chance?! Why don’t you BELIEVE US?!”

“Because you and Drifter are both a pair of rotten, lying, no-good, dirty sons of b—“

Before Haywire could finish, Ambyr gave a mighty bellow, and she swung her paw at him. It connected to the side of his head, and Haywire yelped as he was thrown back into the snow. He landed with a sickening thud, and slid back a few feet as he lay on the ground.

Ambyr didn’t wait for him to get up, she quickly turned around, and sprinted away, sobbing and gasping, until she disappeared completely from view.

Haywire grunted and groaned as he staggered to all fours. There was a slight cut along the side of one of his cheeks. He shook his body of the snow and glared at the spot Ambyr ran off to...then, at Drifter. For a brief second, Drifter didn’t appear to glowered back, but rather stared at him openly, as if giving him a chance to read his thoughts.

Blitz took a step closer to Haywire. “Haywire...are you alr—“

“LEAVE ME ALONE!!!” Haywire yelled at him, then, he too, turned around, and sprinted off in the opposite direction Ambyr went. With a terribly shocked expression still glued onto his face, Blitz turned and looked